Brother Mine
by The Cat Crusader
Summary: TFA - You've read tributes to Prowl, now here is a little something for Starscream. It might be great, it might stink but I had to put this up and get it off my mind. No flames. Long live Prowl's memory, long live Starscream's memory!


**Disclaimer:** TFA belongs to Hasbro, OC is mine, blah blah blah. Moving on...

**AN:** I was going to post this yesterday but it got late and mom made me stop so here it is today. I'm not going to drag out my thoughts on the final episode of TF Animated so I'm just going to say: it stunk of rotten eggs. Not only did it leave tons of loose ends (what happens to Blackarachnia and Waspinator? Where did they go? What about the Screamer's clones? Their names were never mentioned for crying out loud! And what about the Dinobots and Wreck-Gar and the Constructicons and Soundwave?!), not only did Prowl die (I'll admit Prowl's death wasn't bad. I was sad that he died but he died honorably, like Dinobot.), but Starscream died in such an unremorseful way. Writing this made me feel better.

**Brother Mine**

_**The chains to my life are strong  
**__**But soon they'll be gone  
**__**I'll spread my wings one more time...**_

A blue and yellow Harrier jet circled and shot at the head of one the Omega Supreme clones. Her measly lasers did little to distract them and neither were the tactics of her commander or comrades, Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Jazz respectively. After deducing that the only thing that could save them now was the power of the All Spark, Prowl flew off with Jazz toward Sumdac Tower.

Optimus order her to cease her attack and make sure all humans were out of the area. They had a nasty habit of hiding in their weak buildings. The jet transformed to her robotic form and flew down to the ground. The dark blue femme knelt down so that her head was nearly touching the cracked pavement. Her green optics scanned the inside of the first building.

"Hello?" she called in through the open doorway. When she didn't receive a reply, she shrugged and got back to her feet. "I guess nobody's home." She was about to move on to the next building when she heard the sound a very familiar jet. She whirled around and immediately spotted the gray and red jet.

A smile beamed on her face and she leaped back into the air. "Hey Screamer!" she called, waving to get his attention. "What're you doing here?"

Starscream turned to face her and narrowed his crimson optics. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he barked. "Leave me alone, you liar!" he shouted.

The Seeker femme rolled her optics and placed her clawed hands on her hips. "And how many times do _I_ have to tell _you_?" she retorted. "I'm **not** lying! I am Velocity, your twin!" Velocity pointed a finger at him. "Why won't you believe me?"

The Decepticon fired a warning shot at her in answer. The femme didn't even flinch. Ever since Starscream had first shown up on Earth in search of the All Spark, Velocity had been hell bent on convincing him that she was indeed his supposedly dead sister. They had been close when they were young, like peanut butter and jelly. They did everything together.

About five million stellarcycles ago, she had been kidnapped in an Autobot raid on the Decepticon mother base where she and Starscream were. At the time, they had been undergoing training to become Decepticon warriors. Starscream had always believed that the Autobots had killed his beloved sister. Velocity had assumed the same thing about him. She knew they had killed her mother, Icevapor.

Having been placed under the care of Arcee, the young Seeker soon grew into one of the most loyal of Autobots that roamed Cybertron. However, she never forgot her heritage or the ways of the Decepticons. She had vowed to one day return to their ranks when her friends were gone.

Years later, after Arcee had lost her memory, Velocity had been assigned to the space bridge team that Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead were on. Later, Prowl joined the team. They eventually uncovered the All Spark, were chased by Decepticons, and crashed on Earth. When they woke from hyperstasis fifty years later, they saved the day a few times for the humans and were held up as heroes.

When Starscream had attacked the awarding ceremony, Velocity hadn't stopped trying to tell him who she was. Over and over again, she had argued with her brother but still he would not see. It nearly broke her spark but she vowed to keep trying until he either accepted her or the day she died. But she did convince Blitzwing, an old sparklinghood friend, of who she was. She was thankful for that. When she had told him her plans, he had said that he eagerly awaited the day of return.

Starscream opened his mouth to sneer at her some more but the chamber on his forehead suddenly opened. He was startled by this and tried to close the chamber but was confused by the fact that he could not. "What is this? Whoa!" He was suddenly being dragged forward by an invisible force.

Velocity looked on ahead in the direction he was being pulled. Her sights ended on Sumdac Tower where Prowl and Jazz had gone to- ...

Oh slag.

"Prowl!" she cried and soared on ahead of Starscream and over the two ninja mechs. "Jazz! Stop, please! That All Spark fragment is the only thing keeping Starscream online!"

They paid her no heed. She flew back to where Starscream had managed to halt himself in mid air. "Release me at once you ninja bot ninnies!" he yelled and shot at them, but they were too deep in their concentration to notice him. He almost doubled over with the pain of fragment trying to dislodge itself.

Velocity pressed her hand against the fragment, trying to hold it in place despite the other Seeker's protests. "Would you shut up?" she snapped at him. "I'm trying to help you." She looked back at the ninjas. "Guy! Please stop it! You're killing him!"

"Get off of me!" Starscream shoved her away and grabbed his head, groaning. "Stop this instant or I'll- ow! I'll- ow ow ow!"

Panic was coursing through both of them now. Velocity bit her lip, took a deep breath through her vents, then turned back to the two mechs on the tower roof. "Prowl! Jazz! Stop!!!" she shrieked, waving her arms wildly. "Please STOOOOOP!"

But it was too late.

Velocity watched helplessly as the tiny fragment painfully and slowly peeled from its casing. "No. No! NO!" Starscream cried as he watched it float in front of him. Then he could feel his systems all shutting down, one by one. His thrusters were among the first to go and he fell out of control to the abandoned streets of Detroit, screaming in pure fear.

She still hovered in place, dazed by what she had just seen before she soared down to him. She rolled him over and looked into his face, numb to anything else going on around them. "Starscream?" she whispered hoarsely. "Screamer, can you hear me? Bro, c'mon, talk to me."

He still had some life left but he knew he was going to die. He could already feel his being fading. Almost blinded by the sun above, he could just make out a figure. Slag, it was that annoying Autobratt femme. What did she want now?

"Screamer please, hear me out." she pleaded. "Do you remember when we would get up at night and sneak energon goodies from the storage bins?"

Yes, he did remember. But he had done that with his sister, not this glitch. How could she know about that?

"And what about the times we teamed up with Blitzwing and play pranks on the other trainees?" she continued, digging up old memories. "Remember? One time we covered Demolisher in pink paint?"

He almost chuckled at the remembrance of that. Demolisher had been their caretaker. But how could this Autobot know all this?

"W-what about when electrical storms would come during the night? We would hide under our recharge berth and... cover up in blankets."

How could she know about that?

She took his hand and held it close, seeing she was getting somewhere at last. "And- and what about the time you broke your wing during a flight lesson?" She laughed dryly and tears of optical fluid sprung up in her optics. "Remember? I painted red Xs on my wings and brought you warm energon with aluminum and copper shavings."

No one else knew about that. Starscream could barely smile but he remembered and looked into her face. Yes... she did look familiar. She did have an angular and sharp features like he did. She did look almost exactly like him. He was stupid for not seeing it before. Why had he been so bolt-brained? Oh, he was so sorry.

She saw his colors begin to fade. She shut her optics tight and held his hand against her cheek, soaking in what warmth was left. She was surprised to feel him rub his fingers weakly against her cheek. She looked down at him curiously and saw him smiling up at her.

"It _is_ you..." he croaked, more precious, dusty memories flashing before his optics. "Velocity..."

She smiled weekly back. It disappeared when she saw his crimson optics dim into lifeless voids and his hand went limp. "S-Starscream?" she called softly. Her breath caught in her throat when his colors turned to black and gray. "Starscream?" she said more insistently, not wanting to believe he was gone just yet. Getting no response, she dropped his hand and desperately shook him by the shoulders. "Starscream?! STARSCREAM!"

Velocity fell against his cooling chest, shaking in violent sobs and murmuring his name. She wrapped her arms around the empty shell and held it close. He was gone. He was gone for good. She would never see him again, never talk to him again... never embrace him again. That's what she had missed the most, hugging him until he claimed he lost the feeling in his hands. She merely cried all the more at the lost memories, staining his cockpit with her tears.

She had thought of him every day since her kidnapping, wondered if he was dead. She had wondered if he thought she was dead or if he was out searching for her. They had been so close as sparklings. They had always been there for each other until she had been kidnapped. It had been hard adjusting to living without the other. And now, she had to learn to do it all over again. Only this time, she new he was not coming back. Starscream was gone forever.

Velocity paid not attention to what was happening around; she was lost in her sorrow and memories. She didn't know that Prowl had also left the realm of the living. She didn't know that the city over Detroit was safe now because of the sacrifices made. She didn't know that Megatron was captured. She didn't know all this and frankly, I don't think she would care to know.

When Optimus and Jazz came looking for her, they were surprised at the state they found her in. She seemed to have fallen asleep hunched over Starscream's lifeless body. They stood at a distance until Jazz stepped forward and lightly nudged her shoulder.

"Hey V," he said. "You okay there?"

Velocity slowly looked up at them with the most spark-wrenching look they had ever seen. "Do I look okay?" she demanded, her voice harsh from crying so hard. She then realized who was talking to her and her expression quickly changed to one of pure hatred. Sure, she and Jazz had been good friends for while he was here. He had been a lot of fun, singing and dancing to all kinds of Earth music, but now...

"_You_," she growled darkly and clenched her fists. "You _and_ Prowl." She stood up and loomed over the shorter mech, baring her teeth. "You killed him!"

"Whoa now," he replied, holding out hand to stop her. "Prowl just gave himself to save this city from those Omega Supreme clones. You should show a little respect."

"Respect?" she spat. "Respect?! He is equally responsible as you for murdering my brother!" She was about to leap at her ex-friend and tare him apart if Optimus hadn't threw himself between them.

"Velocity," he grunted as he held her back. "What has gotten into you? This isn't like you!"

The larger femme shoved Optimus back and into Jazz. They both fell over top the other onto the pavement and stared in utter shock at her. She stood where she was and glared at the both of them.

"Then you don't know anything about me." Velocity declared darkly and, turning on her heel, went back to her brother's body, lifted him up in her arms, and took off toward the moon.

Optimus and Jazz stared after then looked at each other. "What do you suggest we do, OP?" Jazz asked.

Optimus shook his head. "Nothing." He paused. "I don't think she's coming back." He had warned her before about trying to rekindle her relations with the Decepticons. It had put her loyalty in serious question several times since coming here to Earth. Yet somehow, he had always known that she wouldn't stay an Autobot forever.

And now he could see that he was right.

-x-

Velocity had gone to the moon and to the _Nemesis_ where she knew Starscream had made clones. She knew that they most likely would be there and she was right. She was greeted by the femme clone had made. The turquoise and purple clone looked exactly like Velocity. The two met optic to optic. The other's gaze fell to the black and gray body in her arms.

"So, the mighty Starscream has finally fallen." she said with neither sadness or pleasure.

Velocity nodded once and looked down upon her dead brother then back up at the clone. "Where are the others?"

She shrugged. "Yellow and white went missing and blue and purple are out in space somewhere."

Velocity hummed in response as she walked passed the clone and into the crashed _Nemesis_. She found her way to the room where all the clone bodies were held and reverently placed Starscream on the table at the end of the room. Not wanting to start crying again, she went back out onto the moon's surface.

"So," she began, not even glancing at the clone. "I have a question for you."

"Oh yeah?"

Velocity hesitated but continued. "Why didn't you attack me?"

The femme clone paused before answering. "I never told what part of Starscream I came from." she said softly. "I'm his bitterness. He was bitter because the Autobots killed your mother and took you away."

"Oh... but that still doesn't explain why you didn't attack me." Velocity replied. "I am an Autobot."

"No you're not," The clone stepped in front of her to face her, leaned forward and placed her hands over the red Autobot masks. In a flash, they were changed to the purple emblem of the Decepticons. Velocity glanced at her wings and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Thank you... what's your name?"

The other femme shrugged and turned to face Earth. "Starscream didn't give us names."

Velocity frowned then took on a thoughtful look, fingering her chin. "How do you like the sound of... Nightbird?"

The clone scoffed. "To delicate." she grunted.

"Okay," Velocity thinks some more. "Hmm... How about, uh..."

"I like Starfall." the clone declared suddenly.

"Oh?" Velocity considered the name for a moment and found it appropriate. "Alright then, Starfall. Shall we find our brothers?"

Starfall finally turned to her and smirked. "Let's."

With that, the femmes transformed and took to space. As they flew away, Velocity knew that the other clones wouldn't be anything like Starscream was. But at least, she figured, they would be the closest beings she had to family. Not only that, she finally had a bright future to look forward to with her newfound siblings. Starscream's memory would live on in all of them.

_**In my heart I know I can let go  
**__**In the end I'll find some peace inside  
**__**New wings are growing to night...**_

**AN:** Lyrics are from Within Temptation's "Swan Song".

Yeah, ooc-ness I know. And Starfall is what I kept hearing the femme Screamer clone's name was so don't kill me for using it. Don't like? Don't leave a rude comment.


End file.
